Hi all,

New to this forum. I'm about to take delivery of a 55 plate Superb 1.9 TDI Edition 100. I am very aware of the water ingress problem and will be checking it over and repairing as needed. By the way, the repair guides on this forum are excellent and easy to follow, so a big thank you to all for that. My question is this, when I make the repair to the pollen filter housing, with the bead of sealer, does this make it messy to replace the filter in the future (because of the sealer gunk etc) and how often should it be done? Every 40k or so? Also, is there any downside to removing the rubber drain bungs under the battery tray and leaving them out altogether?

On a personal note, I'm really looking forward to driving the Superb. I'm a high milage user (45k miles per year) and these cars get great reviews from owners here as a great value and comfortable motorway cruiser. A colleague of mine has one, which had the repairs done and is running now at 220k miles with no problems....!

Many thanks for any replies,

Robbie

Pollen filter changing is unaffected by the seal update. I change the pollen filter annually, but I give it a cleaning by tapping it against the wall every time I take the plastic cover trim off to clean around the pollen filter seal area which is every few weeks. It only takes a few minutes to do, I use a 1" paint brush to keep the area around the pollen filter seal clean. It is surprising how much muck lodges there in a few weeks. Knocking the filter gently gets the bigger pieces of detritus out. No known downside to removing the plenum chamber grommets, as far as I know.

Hi Fred,

Thanks a mill for the quick reply.... Just so I understand you fully, does the up dated VW pollen filter cure the problem or should I use a bead of sealer too?

Cheers,

Robbie

Welcome to the forum Robbie

as Fred said the sealant goes underneath the plastic housing, the filter above it so it is unaffected, it is worth cleaning the bulkhead fully (I even polished and waxed mine! - so that future debris would be less likely to stick to the paintwork).

Personally I can see no negative side effects from removing the grommets completely.

Hi Gizmo68,

Thanks for the welcome, and glad to be here...! Great support from you guy's. I will do both the sealer and the new type filter and remove the grommets altogether and hopefully problem solved. I suppose (hopefully) the only other real issue might be the sunroof drain holes. Ant tip's or advice on this one? Is it a common problem too? Apologies for asking this question again, I'm sure it's been covered many times already.

Cheers,

Robbie

I have heard of the sunroof drains blocking but my MKI Superb Comfort never had a sunroof so I never personally came across this, you could try regularly pouring warm water down the drains to make sure they keep clear (make sure the water actually runs out of the drains though!) the drains I assume will exit somewhere behind the front wheel arch?

I'll make sure to do that. Fingers crossed all will be well. I'm sure I'll be posting more as I spend time with the car. Luckily my mechanic has a MK1 himself, albeit recently, but he is aware of the known issues.

Many thanks,

Robbie.

Just came back from a neighbour who is a taxi driver here in Dublin. He has a 2005 Superb from new, now with 467,000 KMs on it and never had a water problem with it. Maybe the pollen filter was done etc, he did'nt even know about the issue. I had a quick drive in it and it drove very well. Showing it's age now a bit, but unbeliveable for the milage as a taxi in a city.

Good news...!!

Robbie

Hi Fred,

Thanks a mill for the quick reply.... Just so I understand you fully, does the up dated VW pollen filter cure the problem or should I use a bead of sealer too?

Cheers,

Robbie

Shouldn't need it, but it won't hurt.

Great. Thanks for the info Fred... For peace of mind I might do both anyway. As a matter of interest, what's the difference between the new type filter and the old one?

Cheers,

Robbie

Filter element is the same, no change there, the change is to the housing to bodywork sealant strip that is more robust and less likely to pass water. I also emphasise the importance of keeping the narrow gap between the body work/inner wing and the filter housing clear of muck/leaves/debris. All the water off the screen runs down there and carries lots of crud with it on its way into the plenum chamber (and then hopefully on to the floor). The build up of crud that results is what causes the seal to leak in the first place as it impedes water darining away freely. Provided the water can get away, it won't leak.

Edited 26 February, 201115 yr by Fred Bloggs

Lovely. Sounds like a simple enough DIY fix. I do all my own servicing so I've always got my head stuck under the bonnet..!

Thanks a mill Fred,

Robbie

Yes, it's an easy enough fix, do the plenum chamber grommets removal as well while you're under there, if they haven't already been done.

Thanks for the advice.

Robbie